Marshall AFD 100 –
The long-awaited 100-watt AFD100 Slash signature head is based on the
third prototype presented to Slash and features two gain structures—#34
and AFD. Marshall modeled the #34 side after Slash’s modded JCM800 and
added more gain to thicken up the tone for the AFD side. Only 2300 units will
be available worldwide. marshallamps.com

Mesa/Boogie RA-100 Royal Atlantic –
The 100-watt RA-100 Royal Atlantic can be powered by EL34s or 6L6s and runs on class
AB power. Tonally, the combo launches off the TransAtlantic platform and mixes both classic
and modified British sounds with Boogie’s trademark high-gain thump. It also has the
company’s proprietary new Multi-Soak feature, which lets you notch either channel down
16, 12, 8, or 4 dB. Front-panel Clean channel controls are Master, Bass, Middle, Treble, and
Gain, while the Hi/Lo channel has vintage high-gain and vintage low-gain modes and front-panel
Master Hi, Master Lo, Bass, Middle, Treble, and Gain knobs. mesaboogie.com

65amps Empire (LEFT) –
The 6V6-powered Empire features a trio of classic high-gain British
voices from different eras. The first offers early ’60s tones, the
second aims for ’68-’72 tones, and the third offers up hot-rodded
’80s tones. The amp is powered by 22 very loud watts, but it also
features a Master Voltage control for bringing the volume down to
bedroom levels. 65amps.comCelestion G12H 30-Watt 75 Hz (RIGHT) –
The new addition to Celestion’s blockbuster
G12H30 series features a resonant bass
frequency of 75 Hz (the original’s is 55 Hz) to
offer players a tighter, more articulate low-end
response. professional. celestion.com

Effects, Etc.

Misa Digital Instruments Kitara
– Touch-screen devices are everywhere these days, so it’s no shock that a company
would decide to integrate one with a unit dedicated to creating music.
Adventurous players like Muse’s Matt Bellamy had electric guitars modified
with parameter-controlling devices like the Korg KAOSS Pad many years ago,
but the Kitara isn’t going for that—it has no strings, so it’s really not a guitar in
even the most lax interpretation of the word. Although its neck has 24 “frets,”
each with six buttons, the Kitara runs on a Linux operating system and has
more than 100 internal synth sounds that are activated via an 8" multi-touch
display. You can choose to display six lines representing strings if you wish,
and the touch screen also enables manipulation of up to six built-in effects
that you can assign to the screen’s X and Y axes.
The Kitara will never replace a serious guitarist’s real 6-strings—but it’s still
intriguing for several reasons. First, it may be the most affordable, most convenient,
and coolest-looking way for guitarists to play synth-generated music
using the same chord and scale shapes they’ve always used on their solidbody
and flattop guitars. Second, its form factor likely avoids the glitchy tracking
and latency issues that often plague traditional guitars outfitted with a MIDI
pickup. Though $2800 seems steep for the aluminum-bodied version, $800 for
the heavy-duty polycarbonate version seems quite reasonable. Connections
include MIDI, 1/4", and headphone outputs, and both designs can easily be
configured for left-handed players. misadigital.com

Kemper Profiling Amplifier –
Technically, it’s not an amp because it can’t power a cabinet
(though plans for that option are in the works), but this new unit
from Germany’s Christoph Kemper, designer of the Virus line
of acclaimed synthesizers, effectively takes amp modeling to
the next logical level. Yeah, it comes stocked with “profiles” of
venerated vintage and modern tube amps (as well as lots of additional
effects, cabinet simulations, and extensive EQ-ing capabilities),
but what’s revolutionary about the Profiling Amp is that
it enables you to capture the tone of any amp at your disposal.
Whether you’ve got your own killer collection of amps you wish
you could gig or record with more easily, or whether you know a
magnanimous dude who’ll let you Napster-ize his collection of
mind-boggling amps, there’s some pretty mouth-watering potential
here. Here’s how it works: Mic the source amp and connect
the Kemper to its input via 1/4" cable, and then wait about 30
seconds while the Kemper routes a series of test signals through
the source amp’s circuitry and captures the amplified tone as a
snapshot inside the Profiling Amp. kemper-amps.com

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